NASHVILLE – House Majority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol, announced today he will not seek re-election, saying he wants to explore new opportunities as well as start a family with his wife.
“I’m looking forward to new challenges, and this is the right time for me to make this decision,” the 14-year veteran told reporters.
He said his decision has nothing to do with having been on the losing side of one of the astonishing feats in recent Tennessee political history back in early 2009.
Rep. Mumpower, 36, was set to become the first GOP speaker to lead the chamber in decades after Republicans gained a 50-49 majority. Instead, Rep. Kent Williams, a Carter County Republican, cut a behind-the-scenes deal with the 49 House Democrats that, along with his own vote, resulted in his election as speaker. The move left Rep. Mumpower and the other 48 Republicans shell-shocked.
“That’s old news,” Rep. Mumpower said today. “It is what it is. It has nothing to do with it. My decision has everything to do with what’s right for me and what’s right for my family.”